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International 2021 passenger numbers tumble 76.2% at Asia-Pacific airlines: AAPA report
January 28th 2022
Asia-Pacific carriers flew 16.7 million passengers on scheduled international services in calendar 2021, a decline of 76.2% from 70 million passengers in the previous year, figures from the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) show. Read More » When compared with pre-COVID-19 levels, the AAPA said the 2021 result was down 95.6% over total international passengers carried in 2019. “For a second year running, international passenger travel remained severely suppressed as a result of strict border measures imposed throughout the region and elsewhere," AAPA director general, Subhas Menon, said. "It is the worst crisis the region’s airlines ever have faced in duration and depth." Menon said the recent emergence of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 had put the brakes on recovery. "For meaningful recovery to take place, border restrictions need to be eased on a consistent basis and current multi-layered travel requirements streamlined and simplified for travellers," Menon said. AAPA figures are aggregated from the traffic data of 40 Asia-Pacific airlines, with figures for previous years adjusted for comparison purposes.
